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Chapter 1
Noah
“Hello?”Myvoicecracksas I answer the phone.What time is it?
“Noah, can you come get Rainey? Dunbar’s behind bars again.”
A groan escapes my throat as I sit up in bed and flip on the bedside light. The sudden brightness in the room assaults me. I pull the phone away from my ear and squint, my bleary eyes trying to work out the numbers on the screen.3:17 a.m.
“What happened this time?”
“Alexandria P.D. pulled him over. He was swerving all over the road,” the voice says. “His BAC was triple the legal limit.” There’s a long pause before the woman adds, “He had Rainey with him.”
I allow my head to fall backward onto my pillow again as heavy dread slogs into my head, and my heart rate climbs. I suck in a slow, deep breath praying I can fend off a panic attack.
“Give me a few to get dressed. I’ll be there. Tell Rainey I’m on my way.”
“Thank you,” the woman replies before the line goes dead.
I peel back the covers and swing my legs over the edge of the bed, fighting the urge to sink back into my warm bed. Can I pull the comforter over my head and pretend this never happened? I smack my hands on either side of my face and attempt to break sleep’s trance. It’s been three months since the last time this happened, but here we are again.
I rub my face with my dry hands and rock my head back and forth. My eyes scan the bedroom floor for clean clothes. I sweep my foot around, moving random pieces of clothing on the floor and looking for something clean to wear. My dirty clothes basket is a mile high, so I can’t afford to be picky—if it seems clean, it’s the winner. My eyes dart across the floor and miraculously uncover yesterday’s jeans and a t-shirt next to my nightstand. The smell test confirms both are acceptable and on they go.
I need to get my act together and wash some damn clothes, because this is ridiculous. Fifteen minutes disappear while I shuffle the mess on my kitchen counters, searching for my wallet and keys. They’re not in my enormous work bag, the contents of which are now spilled out on my living room floor. I’m flustered and sweaty, and I’ve not even left my house yet.
Mentally walking through the last places I remember having them, I throw my refrigerator door open to grab a bottle of water. My keys and wallet lie on the shelf next to the possibly expired half-gallon of milk. It’s just another morning in my life with ADHD.
My two-story brick home is ten minutes from the police station in the center of town. Alexandria, Kentucky is everything you picture when conjuring up an image of Small Town, USA. I whizz by mom-and-pop stores lining both sides of Main Street, my nerves keeping my foot heavy on the gas. An old stone building with gorgeous Colonial Revival architecture sits in the middle of the town square and houses the police station.
Heaviness envelops my body as I march up the steps to the station’s entrance in the muggy mid-August air. The entrance hall and reception desk are empty, not surprising for this early hour. A small bell rests on top of a grimy desk. I tap it with caution. No one appears, so I ding it again with more gusto. Still alone in the sterile, silent foyer, I drop into one of the plastic chairs lining the wall opposite the desk and wait.
The sound of footsteps grabs my attention, as Miss Jessamie walks in my direction with Rainey slinking behind her down the long hallway. Glass doors separate the public entrance and the private offices beyond the reception desk. When she spots me, Rainey bursts through the doors and clamors toward me.
“Aunt Noah!”
“Hey, baby cakes,” I whisper in her ear after she jumps into my lap. I pull her tight, breathing in the nostalgic, yet somewhat unfamiliar smell that is my niece. If my math’s correct, it’s been five months since our last visit. Rainey’s muscles relax against me as she lays her head on my shoulder, releasing a sleepy sigh. As I watched her walk down the hallway, it reminded me how quickly kids grow. She’s shot up at least another inch, and I wonder what else I’ve missed in that time.
My brother, Dunbar, blamed me for his last arrest and the resulting short jail stint. He convinced himself all of it was my fault and cut off all contact with me, which meant losing contact with Rainey, too. Dunbar selling weed behind the restaurant he was supposed to be working at was his choice—I didn’t even known he was dealing. Unfortunately, the alternate reality my brother creates for himself casts me as the villain.
“I’m sorry to call in the middle of the night like this,” Miss Jessamie says in her low, soothing voice. She’s monitoring Rainey’s face as she talks, watching for any sign of her little ears understanding.
“It’s okay,” I assure her. “As long as Rainey’s safe, that’s all that matters.”
“Hey Rainey,” Miss Jessamie grabs my niece’s attention.
“Would you like to go say ‘hi’ to Chief Polske for a couple of minutes?”
I’m watching to see Rainey’s reaction. She carefully unwraps her arms from around my neck and wiggles her butt to slide off my lap. Miss Jessamie squats to be the same height as my niece, and I hear her whisper into Rainey’s ear, “I heard he’s not good at coloring. Can you show him how to stay in the lines?”
Rainey smacks her hand over her mouth and giggles. “Oh, yeah. I can teach him. I’m the best color-er,” she exclaims.
Miss Jessamie reminds her to use her inside voice and Rainey follows her back through the glass double doors. Sometime between my taking a seat and now, an officer who can’t be much older than me appeared at the reception desk. With the number of times I’ve been in the police station over the last few years, I’m well acquainted with Chief Polske.
The chief pulls a coloring book and a battered pack of crayons from inside a drawer. Rainey rounds the corner and stands next to the officer, patiently waiting for Miss Jessamie to drag a chair over to the desk for her. Rainey doesn’t waste a second climbing into the chair and coloring with the officer, who has her chatting a mile a minute in no time.
Back in the foyer, Miss Jessamie sets one of the plastic chairs right in front of me. I peel my face out of my hands where it landed while they settled Rainey in. Overwhelm and exhaustion combine, pulling me down.
“How long will he be in here this time, Miss Jessamie?”
